Sacrifice
by Sandlewood996
Summary: Duty, honour and love clash with a thirst for vengeance when a decade old lie is finally revealed.  How far would YOU go for love?  NaruIta, onesided SasuNaru, YAOI!  WARNING!  RATED STRONG M!  May contain violence, coarse language & adult situations.
1. Chapter 1

_**SUMMARY:** Duty, honour and love clash with a thirst for vengeance when a decade old lie is finally revealed. How far would YOU go for love? NaruIta, one-sided SasuNaru, YAOI!_

**Naruto Fanfiction**

_Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto Studio Pierrot TV Tokyo GAINAX Aniplex SME Visual Works Cartoon Network YTV (Canada) Viz Communications ShoPro Entertainment STUDIOPOLIS, Inc. Game One Kana Video Made In Europe Cartoon Network L.A. Xystus Artsound Mexico ABS-CBN Hero Mediaset Panini Video Italia Panini Video Cartoon Network L.A. (Brasil) Dublarte Shonen Jump (Japan) Shonen Jump (USA) Shueisha Glènat España Carlsen Comics Banzai! Japonica Polonica Fantastica (JPF) " Shonen Jump (Sweden)_

_All Fanfics created by Sandlewood (me) were written for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication or sale._

_**CHAPTER SUMMARY:** In which Kyuubi and Naruto spend quality time together._

**Sacrifice**

_**By: Sandlewood996**_

_**Chapter 1**_

The steady drip, drip, drip penetrated the darkness with steady insistence, slowly driving him mad with the monotonous repetition. He pressed his flushed cheek against the cool, rough stone of the floor beneath him, seeking respite from the unbearable heat flooding his aching body. Slowly, with more difficulty than he ever thought possible, he forced his eyes to open. Just as the last time he'd attempted to view his surroundings, all that he could see was inky blackness with a blurred line of dim light outlining the bottom and one side of a door on the other side of the room...no, cell...that he was being kept in. Feeling the beginning throb of yet another headache, he allowed his eyes to fall closed again, willing the pain away as best he could. Carefully shifting his weight, he bit back a pained groan as his body protested even the slightest of movement with agonizing clarity.

Distantly he became aware of the steady footfalls approaching from the other side of the door, echoing dully through his head and raising gooseflesh on his exposed skin as dread filled him. A shudder coursed through his body as the footsteps halted and he cracked his eyes open once again to see a blurred shadow beneath the crack at the bottom of the door. Biting his lips, he fought to suppress a whimper as he tried to curl in on himself in a vain attempt to fend off the inevitable. He didn't know how long he'd been in the dark cold, but he'd been there long enough to know what the appearance of those shadowy feet meant. Pain. Excruciating pain. He squeezed his eyes shut tight and silently pleaded with a deity he no longer believed in to spare him just this one time.

The jangling of the keys echoed in his ears as he tried to curl himself into an even smaller ball, ignoring the protesting pain of his aching shoulders as the movement put even more strain on his awkwardly bound arms and his knees scraped painfully against the rough stone of the floor beneath him. The whining screech of the lock's mechanism shifting and turning, followed by the booming click of the tumbler falling into place sounded loud in his ears as his pulse sped up to a breakneck pace and his breathing became laboured. The blood pounded in his ears as he bit his lips to hold back any sound of fear or pain as the door began to open with a grating shriek of unoiled hinges and protesting metal upon metal. Dimly he was aware that he was beginning to hyper-ventilate as, against his will, his eyes opened to gaze upon the blurry form standing outlined by the too-bright light glaring in from the corridor.

He knew from painful past experience what was to come next. Try as he might, though, he could never quite prepare himself for the daily ordeal. As a shinobi he was no stranger to pain, but even he had his limits to what he could endure. Squeezing his eyes shut tight, he tried to block out the steadily approaching footsteps as they drew closer to where he lay huddled on the floor of his cell. Clenching his jaw to hold back the pained sounds clawing their way up his throat, he braced himself against the agony assailing his already battered body. Dimly, he was aware of his tormentor speaking, but he was now beyond recognizing the words being directed at him. All he knew was pain. He flinched as he both heard and felt one his bones cracking under the relentless assault. He knew the injuries incurred during these sessions would be predominantly healed before the next time, but that didn't lessen the immediate pain he felt.

He retreated even further into his own mind, blocking out the scent of blood...his own blood...and the sound of more of his bones cracking beneath the onslaught. Seemingly from a great distance he could hear a rough voice shouting, but the meaning behind the words were lost as he drifted along a crimson sea of blackened leaves and swirling colours. Red hot tendrils of soothing comfort surrounded him as he felt more than heard a deep, terrible voice calling to him, drawing him further into himself. He stood before the bars of an enormous cage, the scent of blood and death hanging heavily in the air, the heavy aura of immeasurable power pressing down upon him as gleaming white teeth flashed in the darkness. Hot breath washed over him as the bars of the cage rattled beneath the onslaught of monstrous size and weight. A glimpse of red fur and furiously swishing tails, red eyes gleaming with madness and rage, and wickedly sharp claws the length of his arm etching deep grooves into the floor of the creature's prison. Fear swept through him at the overwhelming power washing over him as he stood before a monster, a creature of myth and legend...himself.

"Release me!" The enraged roar swept over him, nearly throwing him to the floor as the monstrous fox demon threw itself against the bars again. "Unleash my power!" Rising beyond the hulking form of red fur nine tails swished angrily. "Tear them apart! Bathe in their blood!" He shivered and slowly picked himself up, cautiously approaching the raging beast, careful to remain a safe distance from the wicked claws and gleaming teeth towering above him. "Puny humans! Thinking they can dominate me?!"

Completely ignoring the immediate danger, he slowly drew closer to the colossal cage. "Let me in." He whispered, pressing his hands against the surprisingly hot bars.

There was a long pause as the demon regarded him almost quizzically. "No! You let me out!" It roared, baring its teeth as red eyes narrowed suspiciously as he pressed even closer to the bars.

He shook his head, wrapping his fingers tightly around the strangely glowing bars of the prison. "No, no, no!" He shook his head repeatedly, eyes squeezing shut as tremors wracked his body. "Let me in!" He cried, a sob catching in his throat, making it difficult to breathe. "It's safe in there!"

The creature drew back and sat on its haunches, ears laid back as the glowing red eyes narrowed further. "What are you going on about, Kit?" The previously enraged bellows were now reduced to an almost gentle rumble as the demon slowly lowered its large head to rest on its forepaws.

"Out there..." He gestured one-handed in the general direction behind him. "There are bad things..." He slowly sank to his knees before the enormous fox demon beyond the bars of its cage. "Terrible things..." He shuddered and bowed his head as he drew in a shaky breath. "Painful things." His hands tightened to a white knuckled grip on the large metal bars as he pressed the top of his head against them. "Terrifying things!"

Kyuubi snorted. "You're describing me, brat." It slowly inched its way closer to where he was kneeling. "Why don't you let me out of here and we'll teach those puny humans a lesson." Lips drew back in a grotesque parody of a smile. He shook his head emphatically, ignoring the painful thumping his forehead made against the cage as he did so. With his head still bowed, he missed the cunning look entering the fox's narrowed eyes. "Why should you be made to suffer? Why do you allow those frail and weak creatures to torment you?" Hot breath washed over him as he felt the large nose brush against his hands.

He slowly lifted his head and regarded the creature warily. Close up he could see the details of each whisker adorning its snout, the flecks of gold glinting around the dark pupils reflecting his own image. "Weak..." He whispered hoarsely as he reached through the bars to place his hand against the warm muzzle too close to him. "I'm too weak." Red eyes narrowed as the lips drew back to reveal glistening fangs, a low rumbling growl emitting an unmistakable warning. "I lost too much blood." He was rather surprised at how soft the fur beneath his fingers actually was as he continued to pet the monster before him. "And I think my ribs are broken."

"Let me out. I'll take care of it." Lips pulled back into a feral grin as the nine-tailed fox demon inched even closer to him even as its eyes squinted shut in delight as he continued to caress the red and black fur covering its large snout. Kyuubi would never admit to it, at least not aloud, but it was rather enjoying the attention it was currently receiving. In all the long years of its existence, this was definitely a first. He couldn't think of a single human who would dare to get this close to it, never mind touch it. It was ironic that the only human in history brave enough...or perhaps foolish enough...to do so was also its human jailer.

His eyes slid closed as he slumped heavily against the bars, his hand slowly falling to his side as darkness began to engulf him. It was becoming increasingly difficult to breathe and the cloying scent of blood was beginning to suffuse his senses. "Don't wanna..." He muttered as his body began to slide to the side. He was distantly aware of Kyuubi surging to its feet and ramming against the bars of the cage furiously, its rage returning with frightening speed. "Don't wanna go back..." He could taste blood and it was making his stomach rebel violently. It took every ounce of his rapidly waning strength to lift his hand towards the enormous fox. "Please..." He whispered hoarsely, vision blurring until only indistinct shapes of varying shades remained. "Don't make me go back!"

**TBC...**

_**Approx. 1, 642 words**_

**A/N Reviews, much like Pocky, make the world go round. **


	2. Chapter 2

_**SUMMARY:** Duty, honour and love clash with a thirst for vengeance when a decade old lie is finally revealed. How far would YOU go for love? NaruIta, one-sided SasuNaru, YAOI!_

**Naruto Fanfiction**

_Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto Studio Pierrot TV Tokyo GAINAX Aniplex SME Visual Works Cartoon Network YTV (Canada) Viz Communications ShoPro Entertainment STUDIOPOLIS, Inc. Game One Kana Video Made In Europe Cartoon Network L.A. Xystus Artsound Mexico ABS-CBN Hero Mediaset Panini Video Italia Panini Video Cartoon Network L.A. (Brasil) Dublarte Shonen Jump (Japan) Shonen Jump (USA) Shueisha Glènat España Carlsen Comics Banzai! Japonica Polonica Fantastica (JPF) " Shonen Jump (Sweden)_

_All Fanfics created by Sandlewood (me) were written for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication or sale._

_**CHAPTER SUMMARY:** In which there is a difference of opinion and parting of ways._

**Sacrifice**

_**By: Sandlewood996**_

_**Chapter 2**_

He was tired. Tired of traveling to all ends of the godforsaken earth on a fool's errand at the whim of a madman. Tired of the near constant ache just behind his eyes. Tired of a steady diet of trail rations for the last two and a half months. Tired of the cloying dust coating the inside of his mouth and choking him. But most of all, more than any of the other constant annoyances that plagued his life on a daily basis, he was tired of the garbage emitting from his partner's mouth in a steady stream. He halted his steps and glared at the larger man's back. "Kisame." The taller man turned to him with a quizzical look. "Shut up." He continued forward, ignoring the narrow-eyed look his partner was now giving him as well as the sudden flare of killing intent emanating from the other Akatsuki member.

He tilted his head back, observing the nearly cloudless sky with a slight frown. They had several hours still until sundown. Looking forward again, he heaved an inaudible sigh, deciding that it would be asking too much for there to be a village with a reasonably priced inn containing a relatively clean bathhouse at the end of the long road they were currently traveling. Glancing from one side to the other, he observed the rocks and boulders of varying sizes, on constant vigilance to the possibility of an ambush. Scraggly trees dotted the sides of the road, twisted and bent by the inhospitable environment they were forced to survive in. The trees, he decided, were very much like shinobi. He wondered if he were a tree if he'd look just like the ones he was seeing now. With a slight tightening of his lips, he turned his gaze away from the ugly trees, disgusted with the way his mind was wandering.

Small clouds of dust rose from beneath his feet as he continued his slow, steady pace. Not a whisper of sound beyond the slight rustling of cloaks could be heard. Not even the annoying buzz of insects. This truly was no-man's land. He couldn't help but compare this dry and barren landscape to the lush, tree-filled lands of his former home. Once again he thrust the unwanted thoughts from his mind. It had been years since he'd thought of that place with anything but contempt. He wasn't about to start a new trend now. Glancing from the corner of his eyes, he observed his now silent partner. If he was beginning to grow weary of the dusty and dry climate, Kisame must be in complete misery, he decided. After all, the older man was from an area well-known for its wet environmental conditions.

Furtive movement off to the side caught his attention. Eyes narrowing, he drew his hands inside the voluminous sleeves of his dark cloak to mask his movements as several kunai fell into his grip in preparation. Whether the movement he'd detected belonged to natural wildlife native to the area...not that anything could actually survive for long out here on its own...an innocent traveler with the bad luck of being on the same road they were using, or Hunter-nin, it made no difference to him. Something...or someone...was about to die. With an almost imperceptible nod towards his partner, they both moved with practiced timing and dizzying speed. In his world, it was kill or be killed...and he had no intention of dying quite yet.

"Che...what a pain in the ass." He ignored Kisame's angry mutters, knowing his partner well enough to know that the anger was merely a front. In truth, Kisame was itching for a fight and reveled in the bloody gore of battle. In all honesty, he found it a little sickening. Killing, in his opinion, wasn't fun...it was a means of survival. It just so happened that he, like his partner, was unusually gifted in the destructive art of killing. He found no joy in taking another's life, but that didn't mean he shied away from doing what was necessary.

Swiftly forming the necessary seals, he disappeared from the road, leaving a Kage Bunshin in his place as he wove with deadly grace through the large boulders and sparce cover of trees along side the road. Quickly sighting his opponents, he assessed the danger as being moderately high. They were Iwa Oinin. His eyes narrowed as he pressed his back against the rough surface of the boulder he was crouched behind. He'd much rather get this over with quickly so as to avoid attracting unnecessary attention. His hands gracefully formed the familiar seals as he prepared an elaborate genjutsu before moving. He hadn't stayed alive as long as he had as missing-nin by taking needless risks. The Hunter-nin from Iwa, as with any other country, were not to be taken lightly. Once the genjutsu was in place, he made his move, swiftly dispatching the surprised shinobi closest to him while Kisame saw to the others. Within a few short moments the battle was over. After retrieving his kunai and quickly wiping the blades clean, he replaced them inside of his cloak before returning to the road.

Thoughts of a warm bed and refreshing bath were now but an impossible dream, he decided. There was no way they could risk staying at an inn so close to the botched ambush. Turning back towards Kisame he opened his mouth to tell him to hurry up whatever it was that he was doing only to have the words die unspoken as his partner regarded him with an unnerving stare. There was something in the other man's eyes that he definitely didn't like. His own eyes narrowed as Kisame slowly approached him, lazily swinging his over-sized sword at his side, the already loosened wrappings falling away to trail over the ground. "Kisame." He began, hands still concealed within the sleeves of his dark cloak automatically reaching for his weapons. "What are you doing?" He shifted his stance to alert readiness as the larger man continued his slow and steady approach.

"Y'know..." Kisame began conversationally. "I never did like you." One eyebrow rose inquisitively even as his eyes narrowed dangerously. "Yeah...never trust a man with no sense of humour, eh?" The sword swung in a lazy arc as the distance separating the two men was steadily reduced. "Seems I'm not the only one to think so." Lips pulled back in a feral grin to reveal sharp, pointed teeth. "Leader's been watchin' you, Itachi."

"Oh?" He had a bad feeling that he knew where this conversation was going. When it came to brute force, Kisame, unlike himself, had plenty to spare. The same went for chakra. He had no way of competing with the glutinous chakra eating sword, Samehada, that the other man wielded. However, Kisame was, simply put, rather stupid. Brute force combined with stupidity was a dangerous combination, but not something that he couldn't overcome if he exercised a bit of cunning and caution.

"Yeah...he has. We all have." The larger man halted and stared at him silently for a moment. "Aren't you curious?" Another grin pulled his lips back. He tilted his head to the side in silent inquiry even as his mind formed and discarded half a dozen plans of action in rapid succession. "How long have we been after the Kyuubi, Itachi?" Kisame didn't wait for an answer. "Too long. Every time we get close to capturing that brat, you pull some stupid shit that lets him get away." When he remained silent, the other man scowled. "Did you really think that Leader wouldn't notice? Huh?"

"Unfortunate circumstances." He continued to watch warily even as he formed the one-handed seals that would allow him to pull Kisame into a genjutsu. If what the other man was implying was true and the leader of Akatsuki had placed him under suspicion, then he was well and truly screwed. He only had one course of action left to him. He resisted the urge to curse his bad luck.

Kisame's eyes narrowed even as his free hand was moving. "Kai!" The word of release emerged on a snarl. "Don't try that shit with me, you fuckin' traitor!" He swung Samehada in a vicious arc, the wind from the passage whistling along the blade. "I know all your little tricks, so don't think they'll work on me!"

"Oh? All of them?" He allowed a small smirk to grace his lips even as he leapt back from the wicked blade, eyes narrowing as he felt the unmistakable pull of the drawing force as it tried to suck out his chakra. As he was moving, his hands were forming more seals in rapid succession. "Katon: Housenka no Jutsu." Multiple fireballs erupted forth concealing several whirling blades of shuriken directed at his target. He knew that such a technique wouldn't be enough to take a shinobi of Kisame's caliber down, but it would serve well as a quick distraction. The instant the last set of seals for the Phoenix Immortal Fire Technique were completed he was already forming the seals for Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, creating three Shadow Clones of himself to surround his former partner. As he'd expected, his first attack had been anticipated and Kisame was already moving towards him, rapidly forming the seals to create his Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu, just as he'd known he would. He didn't bother wasting his time copying the Water Clone technique as he'd already done so when he'd first joined Akatsuki. There were very few ninjutsu techniques in Kisame's arsenal that he hadn't already copied over the years that they'd been partnered.

"Heh. You're gonna have to do better than that, you little shit!" Kisame thrust Samehada into the ground temporarily to allow his hands free movement as he rapidly performed the seals for one of his favourite techniques. "Suiton: Bakusui Shouha!" He grabbed the hilt of his gigantic sword as he opened his mouth, spewing massive amounts of water to create the terrain that he was most comfortable fighting in.

Once again Kisame was behaving in a predictable way. Of course, this could only work out to his advantage. His eyes narrowed in concentration as he performed three sets of elaborate seals in rapid succession. "Doton: Retsudotenshou." While the larger man was preoccupied with evading the spiraling ground beneath him so as to avoid being crushed or buried, the second technique had already been set in motion. "Fuuton: Daitoppa." Naturally he didn't expect such a low ranking technique to be very effective, but yet again it would serve as a good distraction. While Kisame was distracted by the sudden gust of wind leveling the obstacles in its path, the third, and final, technique he'd prepared took effect. "Katon: Rakka Shounetsujigoku Bachi no Jutsu." A thrill of smug satisfaction filled him at the older man's look of utter disbelief as he was engulfed in a storm of blazing sakura petals. Hell's Burning Petals of Divine Retribution was his own personal technique developed over the years in the utmost secrecy. Of course, he wasn't foolish enough to believe that he'd won the battle quite yet. After all, Kisame's water techniques were more than enough to counter his own fire techniques, no matter how elaborate they were or if they took the other man by surprise, as was the case in this instance. No, he still had his work cut out for him if he planned on staying alive for much longer. Without giving the older man time to recover, he launched a head on attack utilizing a combination of taijutsu and shuriken attacks from his shadow clones, taking care to not get too close to Samehada.

He wasn't fond of fighting while standing on water, but without more time to prepare he was unable to counter the massive flooding taking place. He'd hoped that his rapid attacks might distract Kisame enough to disrupt his own ninjutsu, but hadn't really believed that it would work out that way. He spun away from his former partner quickly as Samehada swung towards him, narrowly missing being gutted. His lips tightened into a slight scowl as he felt the razor sharp edge shave along his arm, drawing blood and sucking chakra. He couldn't afford to lose much more than he already had. Unlike Kisame, he didn't have a nearly bottomless well of chakra. The familiar weight of his katana's hilt pressed against his back, beckoning him to draw it, but he refrained. Though he was proficient in basic kenjutsu, he was nowhere near Kisame's level with the sword. It would be tantamount to suicide to attempt to meet the larger man in a duel of blades.

The deadly dance continued with each trading blows, blocking, countering and breaking away to reevaluate before returning to once again repeat the process. Finally, he retreated to a relatively safe distance, watching the other man warily as he fought to catch his breath. Kisame had landed a few glancing blows that he suspected may have fractured a couple ribs, not that he'd let something so trifling distract him. He watched as Kisame pressed a hand tightly against his side in an attempt to staunch the flow of blood from a deep gash tracing from his abdomen and up to just under his ribs on his left side. "Heh. Don't know why you're even botherin'." The older man spat out some blood before slowly advancing again. "Leader has already issued the order, y'know." He tilted his head to the side in silent inquiry even as he backed away from the other man cautiously. Kisame laughed, a rather unpleasant sound in his mind. "You're a dead man and don't even know it yet!"

For each step Kisame took towards him, he retreated two as his mind worked at a furious pace to work out a viable plan of action...one that would hopefully see his former partner dead and himself very much alive. Finally coming to a conclusion he halted his rapid retreat and swiftly formed the seals for a quick, low-level genjustsu followed immediately by the seals for a much more advanced illusion which would, hopefully, mask the third genjutsu he was forming the instant the seals for the second were complete. It was an elaborate improvisation on a technique he'd once copied while passing through Rain Country during a mission several years prior. While Kisame was distracted with dispersing the illusions he'd cast, he moved with chakra-enhanced speed, delivering a punishing kick to the larger man's midsection, driving him back into the waiting arms of his three shadow clones. He couldn't quite hold back the sharp cry of pain lancing through him from shoulder to hip as Kisame swung Samehada with wild desperation towards him. He was thrown back by the sheer force of the blow, vision swimming dizzyingly as blood dripped from his wounds. Shakily holding up one hand, he narrowed his eyes in fierce concentration. He had only one chance for this. He couldn't wait any longer as he could feel his consciousness beginning to slip away. Kisame's blade hadn't merely cut him during that last devastating blow...it had also drained a large amount of his chakra. Seeing that his clones were finally in place he breathed a silent sigh of relief. "Bunshin Daibakuha." As one, the three Kage Bunshin exploded spectacularly, obliterating Kisame along with them. A small smile curved his lips upwards as he he slowly fell to his knees in exhaustion. The look of utter shock on his former partner's face had been rather amusing, he decided.

**TBC...**

**2, 610 words**

_**A/N: **Thank you to all who read the first chapter of **Sacrifice** and took the time to leave a review._

_ddd: No, not by Akatsuki...but he has been caught._

_XxKitsunedxX: I've held a fascination for Kyuubi pretty much since he was first introduced in the series and I'd love to learn more about him...like how he was before the attack on Konoha and was subsequently sealed by Yondaime._

_angel: It wouldn't have gotten as far as it has if not for you and your input. Thankies so much, imouto-chan!_

_ShinyObsessed: Here's the update and I hope you continue to enjoy._

_pyro-manic19: To me, the details are what makes or breaks a story. Hopefully **Sacrifice** continues to live up to this and the readers expectations._

_tora: Hopefully this chapter doesn't disappoint after the wait._

_shino: Yup! Itachi has finally made his appearance! We'll definitely be seeing more of him in the future...but in what capacity still has to be determined. Now, how's that for vague? ;grinz;_


	3. Chapter 3

**Naruto Fanfiction**

_Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto Studio Pierrot TV Tokyo GAINAX Aniplex SME Visual Works Cartoon Network YTV (Canada) Viz Communications ShoPro Entertainment STUDIOPOLIS, Inc. Game One Kana Video Made In Europe Cartoon Network L.A. Xystus Artsound Mexico ABS-CBN Hero Mediaset Panini Video Italia Panini Video Cartoon Network L.A. (Brasil) Dublarte Shonen Jump (Japan) Shonen Jump (USA) Shueisha Glènat España Carlsen Comics Banzai! Japonica Polonica Fantastica (JPF) " Shonen Jump (Sweden)_

_All Fanfics created by Sandlewood (me) were written for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication or sale._

_**CHAPTER SUMMARY:** In which Naruto loses track of time._

**Sacrifice**

_**By: Sandlewood996**_

_**Chapter 3**_

The heavy weight of returning consciousness was beginning to drag him upwards through the blanketing cocoon of oblivion. His senses were slowly beginning to return to him, bringing the strong, metallic scent of blood to his awareness, nearly gagging him with the cloying intensity of it. His body ached with a sore stiffness that had recently become all too familiar to him. He couldn't remember the last time he'd awakened without pain. Had it been days? Or perhaps months since he'd last had the freedom of moving without feeling recently healed broken bones shifting beneath fever-taut skin? He didn't know. He couldn't remember.

Every time he awakened to his living nightmare he'd stare at the cold, blood-stained stone floor beneath him and wonder if his memories of his life before were merely dreams conjured by his desperate mind. Within the dark confines of his cell he would whisper to himself with an edge of desperation tinging his hoarse voice, vocal chords strained from hours of agonized screams being torn from his raw throat. "I am Uzumaki Naruto. I am a shinobi of Konoha." Over and over he would repeat the same words until he'd managed to convince his wavering mind that no, he wasn't a nameless mass of bone and tissue.

Somewhere deep within him a second voice whispered with dark seduction, telling him that freedom, salvation, retribution were all within his grasp if only he'd reach for it, release it, embrace it. At first he'd been afraid of that deep and terrible voice coming from within his mind. A part of him shied away from it, terrified by the horrors reflected in the deceptively soft tones. He knew...he didn't know how he knew, only that he did...that that voice wasn't to be trusted, that rather than finding the salvation it was offering by giving in to it, he'd be even more lost, far beyond the reaches of all he held dear. On the other hand, he was so tired...both physically and mentally exhausted...that he was sorely tempted to give in just to make it all go away.

Hours would pass...or perhaps it had been weeks, his strained mind would whisper...as he remained huddled on the floor in the centre of his cold and dank cell. The sound of his ragged breathing was loud in his ears, his heart thudding loudly in the silence and drowning out the scrabbling scratches of clawed feet scurrying along the edges of the damp walls. The echoing, questioning squeaks of tiny creatures with beady black eyes and sharp, pointed teeth asked him why the moon hated the sun and the rivers rushed to their own destruction at the end of the world in deep, dark pits of fluttering wings drifting on a cutting breeze driving cool sand through thick trees staining the sky with red.

Occasionally heavy, booted feet would drive the questioning monsters back into the shadows as garbled voices asked meaningless questions and icy steel would caress his abused flesh, drawing more of the sickening, beautiful crimson life to patter gracefully to the already large pool beneath him. As always, he'd answer with hoarse screams of agonized bliss as the deep and terrifying voice soothed him with pretty words of death and destruction. Seduced him with visions of rotting corpses and severed heads with empty, gaping sockets staring at him lovingly, the screams of the dead and dying worshiping him and offering crimson displays of homage.

When he became a shuddering, sobbing, screaming mass huddled in a trembling ball lying in a pool of his own blood, the blades disappeared and the feet retreated, leaving him alone with the muttering creatures huddled just out of sight watching him with greedy black eyes. Whispered pleas would ghost over cracked lips stained crimson with flecks of blood as blue eyes stared with hopeful fixation at the reflection of red fur and gleaming fangs in the dark puddle beneath him. "Let me in, let me in, let me in..." The hoarse litany would repeat in raw whispers of helpless need. The sanctuary held within, just beyond his reach, locked and sealed with the sacrificed hopes and dreams of a glorious golden flash wavered just beyond his reach.

The damp chill of his cell retreated and he found himself standing before the enormous cage again. He drew in a shuddering breath and reveled in the fact that it didn't bring sharp, jabbing pains to his chest. Before him loomed the larger than life bars of the locked prison held within him. Pacing just beyond the shimmering metal barrier, the monster creature of legendary terror lurked, angry growls and pained whimpers thundering in the confined space. Red eyes turned to him, fixing him with a heated glare. Glistening white fangs were bared in a fierce snarl as the fox demon halted its movements. "Oh." Hot breath washed over him as he cautiously approached the cage. The angry lifting of black lips slowly melted away as the creature watched him warily. "You're back." Slowly, the beast lowered its head to regard him through slitted eyes glowing in the semi-darkness. "What do you want this time, brat?" The rumbling voice caressed him with its soothing timber.

"Let me in." He whispered tearfully, hands clutching the warm bars until his knuckles turned white. "Please, please, please..." He repeated brokenly as he slowly slid to his knees. His shoulders shook with the heavy, wracking sobs being torn from what felt like the depths of his soul. "It...it hurts...so much..." He pressed his forehead against the bars, tears falling unchecked down his cheeks to drip off his quivering chin. "Let me in...it's safe in there." Impossibly blue eyes lifted, shimmering with anguished tears. "In there...they can't hurt me..."

"Let me out and I'll make it so they can't hurt you." The Kyuubi pressed its black nose against the bars of the cage. Its tails twitched in anticipation as its crimson eyes stared fixedly at the blond form kneeling before it. The nine-tailed fox rested its massive head on its forepaws in a deceptively relaxed pose as its lips pulled back in a sinister smile, sensing that its jailer was wavering, being driven ever closer to the breaking point. It was only a matter of time, the Kyuubi knew, before he would finally give in and it would be free at last. Free to exact its long anticipated revenge on the puny humans that had dared to imprison it in such an undignified way, stripping it of its power and destroying its rightful body. "Let me out..." It rumbled almost gently, vicious cunning reflected in its glowing red eyes. "And I can protect you from those foolish weaklings that have dared to torment you."

A part of him wondered why it was so important to resist the dark temptation the creature before him was presenting. After all, the giant fox was offering him protection from the pain and fear, telling him that it could save him and make it all go away. He knew the Kyuubi had the power to follow through with its promises, so why was he hesitating? Unbidden, a blurred image of green eyes and pink hair formed within his mind followed by a glint of silver above a dark mask. Frowning, his grip on the bars tightened as more fleeting glimpses of barely remembered people and muted hints of vaguely familiar voices echoed through is broken memories. "No...no no no..." He shook his head in denial, his forehead pressing against the glowing bars of the sealed prison within him. Unfocused blue eyes lifted to regard the monster before him, staring at him with a predatory gleam reflected within the depths of its terrible red eyes. "I..." He faltered, face scrunching up into a pained, frightened frown. "I can't..." In a heartbeat the nine-tailed fox demon surged to its feet with an enraged roar. He fell back from the cage, heart thundering with renewed terror as the enormous beast ranted and raved unintelligibly, throwing its bulky weight against the bars separating them. Throwing his arms up, he covered his head as he cowered before the monster's terrible rage. Colours spun together creating a dizzying whirl as a wind that wasn't there rushed by him, through him, with crushing force. Sound muted and he felt himself falling, the ceiling rushing up to meet him as the stone of the floor burned him with icy intensity that stole his breath from his battered and abused body. With a choked, wordless scream he was slammed back into the dismal, pain-wracked reality of his cell.

_**TBC...**_

**1, 442 words**

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed.**

ddd: Here's the update you were waiting for.

pyro-manic19: Another update (and your name once again!).

gfrdr: Thank you for taking the time to read and drop a quick review. Naruto is definitely not captured by Akatsuki...as for Orochimaru (a.k.a. The Snake Bastard)...we'll just have to see, ne?

unseeliedarkness: I've only read the summaries for the manga, so I'm pretty much guessing as to the relationship between Naruto and Kyuubi. I probably should take the time to read a little more in depth so as to not make them appear too OOC, ne?

Jaden: And here's the next chappie!

PirateCaptainBo: Whether they're worse or not is open to debate...after all, Akatsuki is pretty much filled with a bunch of badasses, ne?

rockyoursoks':D

Kurai the Angel: Glad you like. Life can be rather ironic, ne? No honour among thieves...or, in this case, an elite group of highly skilled assassins. lol

DramaQueen4585645: I suppose it could be classified as a drama in some ways.

Zataya: And...here's the update. ;)


	4. Chapter 4

**Naruto Fanfiction**

_Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto Studio Pierrot TV Tokyo GAINAX Aniplex SME Visual Works Cartoon Network YTV (Canada) Viz Communications ShoPro Entertainment STUDIOPOLIS, Inc. Game One Kana Video Made In Europe Cartoon Network L.A. Xystus Artsound Mexico ABS-CBN Hero Mediaset Panini Video Italia Panini Video Cartoon Network L.A. (Brasil) Dublarte Shonen Jump (Japan) Shonen Jump (USA) Shueisha Glènat España Carlsen Comics Banzai! Japonica Polonica Fantastica (JPF) " Shonen Jump (Sweden)_

_All Fanfics created by Sandlewood (me) were written for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication or sale._

_**CHAPTER SUMMARY:** In which a medic's skills would be useful._

**Sacrifice**

_**By: Sandlewood996**_

_**Chapter 4**_

Reaching into one of the equipment pouches clipped to his belt with a shaking hand, his fingers fumbled for a moment before finally closing around what he was searching for. Pausing, he studied the small dark pill for a moment before slowly placing it beneath his tongue. As useful as HyourouGan could be, there were also dangers involved in over use of the powerful stimulant. Unfortunately, thanks to Kisame's hungry sword, most of his chakra had been eaten up. He couldn't afford to waste time on recovery in such an open and conspicuous location. His fight with his former partner was bound to have attracted some unwanted attention and the sooner he left the immediate vicinity, the better it would be for him. Unfortunately, though HyourouGan could restore his chakra and strength for a time, the variety he currently possessed did nothing for his injuries. He'd have to take care of those on his own at a later time. It really was too bad that he wasn't more proficient in medical jutsus. That certainly would've made his life a lot easier about now.

His body responded almost immediately to the powerful stimulants flooding his system. He squeezed his eyes shut tight at the roaring rush of euphoric waves tingling along his nerve endings. Drawing in a shaky breath, he slowly opened his eyes and closed his hand into a fist. He didn't like the way Soldier Pills caused his body to react in such an over-sensitized way, creating an almost drug-induced state of euphoria to flood his senses with unwanted sensations. He knew of other shinobi who became addicted to the false sense of power and it disgusted him. He was a firm believer in relying on his own strength and detested such weak displays of dependency on an artificially created stimulant. That wasn't to say that he was adverse to utilizing the small pills himself when it became a necessity, however he was always careful to not over use the stimulants.

Quickly cataloging his injuries his lips turned down into a frustrated frown as he became aware of the extent of the damage Kisame had inflicted in his final, desperate moments. Swiftly shrugging out of the long, dark cloak he was wearing, he gingerly probed the heavily bleeding wound running from shoulder to hip with a painful hiss through clenched teeth. His former partner had delivered a punishing blow that had left severe injury to his arm that, if left untreated for too long, could prove to become an incapacitating liability. His knowledge of healing techniques, unfortunately, was sadly limited. He could stem the loss of blood, but not much more.

Not wishing to waste valuable time on useless regrets, he reached for a kunai and swiftly cut his discarded cloak into rough, make-shift bandages. There wasn't much he could do about his cracked ribs and chose to ignore them for the moment. After all, he'd functioned in the past with much more severe injuries to concern him. Reaching into another of the pouches at his waist, he retrieved a small container of powder. Using his teeth to pry the lid off, he sprinkled the contents liberally over the large gash on his arm, wincing at the stinging pain his actions caused. Dropping the now empty container, he performed the seals necessary to activate the jutsu one-handed before laying his palm over the bloody mess of his wounded arm. A green flash ensued, running along the length of his arm, covering the sticy powder in bright light as his body's natural healing abilities sped up momentarily. Satisfied with his work for the moment, he swiftly wrapped the long, ragged strips of cloth around his arm, using his teeth to tie off the ends.

Reaching into the pouch again, he retrieved one last item. Pausing, he stared at it for several long moments in indecision, weighing the possible consequences behind using it and not using it. Finally concluding that he couldn't afford risking the possibility of dulling his senses further, he returned the hypodermic syringe filled with a powerful painkiller to his pouch unused. Hurriedly gathering the remnants of his supplies together and returning them to the appropriate equipment pouches on his belt, he pondered his next move. Standing quickly, he surveyed his surroundings with a critical eye. There was no way that he could possibly conceal the damage left in the wake of his battle with Kisasme. His best...and only...option was to put as much distance between himself and the immediate vicinity as he could. Before he left, though, there was one more very important thing he had to see to.

Looking down at his right hand with narrowed eyes, he focused on the heavy ring he wore on his ring finger. It was the last physical connection to Akatsuki. Through it the Leader, and by default the other members of the powerful criminal organization, could track him with unerring accuracy no matter where he went. As long as he wore the ring he'd never get a moment of peace. The Leader of Akatsuki would see to it. He brushed the fingers of his left hand lightly over the familiar symbol etched into the red surface. In the ten years since he'd left Konoha, he'd never taken the ring off. It had been one of the few constants in his ever changeable existence as a member of Akatsuki. It had been a powerful reminder of how drastically his life had been altered and a representation of the final, inexorable loss of his innocence. Lips twisting into a wry grimace, he slowly slid the heavy signet ring over his knuckle and stared down at it resting in his palm. Closing his fingers over the ring into a tight fist, he closed his eyes, reflecting on the past ten years of his life. Eyes snapping open to reveal the startling contrast of the three black tomoe swirling almost lazily on a crimson background of his fully activated Sharingan, he hurled the ring as far from himself as he could, closing another chapter of his life irreversibly.

Considering the sizable disturbance he and Kisame had created, it was now impossible to continue traveling along the road. It was only a matter of time before someone arrived to investigate and it would definitely be ill-advised to remain where he was. Glancing at the sky to judge the time and get his bearings, he turned away from the carnage and destruction, setting out at a rapid pace cross-country in a westerly direction. It was inconvenient, but necessary to deviate from his original path if he wanted to avoid being seen.

Carefully circling around and concealing all traces of his trail, he changed directions multiple times, seemingly at random. If a skilled tracker were to be following, it was never a waste to be on the overcautious side. Keeping a careful eye on the sun's passage through the sky, he increased his pace as he slowly turned his steps in a more northern direction. He had long since resigned himself to the necessity of traveling at night, but he hoped to put as much of the inhospitable terrain behind him as he could before the sun completed its decent beyond the horizon.

_**TBC...**_

**1, 210 words**

_**A/N: Sorry about the delay. I've had...issues. ;.; Super busy on Saturday, so I missed updating then. Company BBQ on Sunday (I'm a member of the Staff Association, so I kinda had to be there...) and then a Province Wide power failure (how's that for bad luck? o.O) after I got home. Then today, for some odd reason, the uploading thingie-ma-bob was being a royal pain in the bahookie and wouldn't accept the blinkin' chapter. Essentially, it's been a rough few days. Additionally, this chapter is a little shorter than the others have been...sorry 'bout that...but R/L can be a real pain sometimes.**_

_**TangoOFDOOM:** I'm glad that I was able to do something unique. It gets a little tiresome when everything listed out there to read seems to almost be a carbon copy of all the rest. As for moving slow...I agree. But, I couldn't really justify in my mind just jumping right into the "action" without providing a little bit of back story...it's just been dumb luck that the "back story" has taken the front seat. O.o_

_**Kurai the Angel:** In all honesty, I didn't really have it worked out in my mind exactly where Naruto is being held...just that he has been captured by...er...someone. -.-; Thankfully, I've since fixed that little problem. ()grinz() It's always kinda sad when even the author doesn't know where the story's going, ne?. :-P_

_**gfrdr:** Well, I can tell you that they'll be meeting fairly soon...as to where...that, too, will be revealed in the next few chapters. Sorry for being so vague...but I don't want to give away too much (and at the same time I don't want to say too much that may end up backfiring later on if it doesn't quite make it into the story). I did consider making the antagonist out to be Sasuke-teme...but changed my mind at the last minute. I have another purpose for him...one that involves much Sasuke-teme angst, I think. ()insert evil laugh() Mwahahahaha! Anyhoo...I'm not much of a Sasuke fan either, truth to tell. ;-)_

_**ddd**: Ended up being a little later than intended, but better late than never, right?. :-D_

_**Shadow Bannana:** I feel a little bad for putting Naruto through all of this...but, in the end, hopefully it'll all work out. I've often wondered how the Seal actually works. After all, if Naruto was unaware of Kyuubi's existence up until he was around 12 years old (when he graduated from the Academy), then it stands to reason that he had nothing to do with keeping the fox demon sealed, right? And yet, as the story progresses, it appears that Naruto has to make an effort to control Kyuubi. Perhaps that's only when he's under tremendous emotional strain...maybe? At any rate, it gives rise to much speculation, ne?_

_Until next time! Ja ne!_


	5. Chapter 5

_**SUMMARY:** Duty, honour and love clash with a thirst for vengeance when a decade old lie is finally revealed. How far would YOU go for love? NaruIta, one-sided SasuNaru, YAOI!_

**Naruto Fanfiction**

_Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto Studio Pierrot TV Tokyo GAINAX Aniplex SME Visual Works Cartoon Network YTV (Canada) Viz Communications ShoPro Entertainment STUDIOPOLIS, Inc. Game One Kana Video Made In Europe Cartoon Network L.A. Xystus Artsound Mexico ABS-CBN Hero Mediaset Panini Video Italia Panini Video Cartoon Network L.A. (Brasil) Dublarte Shonen Jump (Japan) Shonen Jump (USA) Shueisha Glènat España Carlsen Comics Banzai! Japonica Polonica Fantastica (JPF) " Shonen Jump (Sweden)_

_All Fanfics created by Sandlewood (me) were written for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication or sale._

_**CHAPTER SUMMARY:** In which madness descends._

**Sacrifice**

_**By: Sandlewood996**_

_**Chapter 5**_

He drifted along a crimson sea, bobbing on crests of white hot waves, drowning in the blackened glory that stole his breath away with each agonized scream torn from his raw, scraped throat. Above him hovered clouds with grinning skulls painted against dull grey backdrops and cruel taunting breezes fanning over his burning flesh with garbled songs of malicious cruelty demanding, demanding, always demanding the impossible in meaningless garbled sounds of unrecognizable gibberish. Fists and heavy booted feet caressed him lovingly with tender care, drawing more droplets of hot, metallic copper to patter like scarlet raindrops to cooling puddles beneath him.

Hot, steaming bowls of freshly made ramen danced before his eyes, bringing immediate moisture to his parched mouth as he licked dry, cracked lips in gleeful anticipation. He could already feel his taste buds come alive as he envisioned the hot explosion of flavour with each delightful bite. Blue eyes squeezed shut tight as his forehead ground against the rough stone beneath him as he drifted along with the vision before him. His lips curved upwards into a ghost of his usual fox-like grin as a thin trickle of crimson slid from the corner of his mouth to drip off his chin. "Itadakimasu..." He whispered hoarsely, the words scratching painfully over abused vocal chords as he strained towards the simple but oh so delicious meal hovering just out of reach, taunting him with the enticing aroma he loved so much.

Harsh angry mutters drifted over him, through him, as the cruel, booted feet halted their relentless assault on his shaking, battered body. Confusion replaced rough demands as his smile widened even as he coughed and the bitter, metallic taste of blood filled his mouth. "Ramen, ramen, ramen..." He sang hoarsely with excited jubilation as a pair of worn chopsticks appeared in his peripheral vision. As he fumbled towards them, they were snatched from his view. Before he could voice a protest, a strong hand with painted fingernails appeared holding the stolen chopsticks. "Sakura-chan..." He muttered as the raw wounds on his back stung and tightened even as his body fought to repair itself with the help of the fox demon's red chakra. "Just one bite..." He slurred as the bamboo sticks dipped into the large steaming bowl before him, fishing through the sweet smelling broth, searching for the tastiest of morsels.

Cruel fingers dug into dirty, blood-encrusted blond hair, snapping his head back with brutal force. Scowling features appeared nose to nose with him as blue eyes opened a crack to peer up with dazed, unfocused confusion. "Where is the scroll?" The rough, grating voice barely penetrated the loud ringing in his ears. The hand fisted in his hair jerked his head further back at an uncomfortable angle. "Listen you worthless sack of shit! Answer me! Where is the scroll?!"

The blunt, ugly face faded into indistinct blurs as his mind fought to decipher the bewildering disjointed words being shouted with rising fury. A well-known dark mask covering the lower half of a face swam into focus above him. "K-Kakashi-sempai..." He whispered with a widening grin as an all too familiar orange book appeared seemingly from out of nowhere. "Reading porn again..." His indulgent chuckle rattled wetly in his throat. "Shouldn't..." His voice faltered with a pained gasp, trailing off into nothingness as he felt his body being kicked over onto his back, his bound arms bent awkwardly beneath his weight. "Shouldn't read that stuff in public..." He finished with another soft laugh.

In the distance, just on the edge of his awareness, the angry voices shouted, the words meaningless as yet another familiar figure appeared beside him. He shivered as a large, scarred hand grabbed the front of his tattered, blood-soaked shirt and shook him violently. His blue gaze remained locked with the cold, emotionless obsidian eyes staring down at him from an impassive face, a fake smile curving thin lips up into a smirk. Elegant hands with long, tapered fingers stained with paint and ink rose slowly into his line of sight, forming into an obscene gesture he'd seen so many times that it no longer offended him. A faint, echoing whisper of memory ghosted through his mind. "Dickless wonder..." And then the vision was gone, the talented artist-nin who lacked any form of social grace but had also become one of his dearest friends in the years that he'd known him faded into the darkness as unbearable cold seeped into his bound, shaking limbs. Tittering, squeaking laughter bubbled out from the shadowy recesses of the dank, dark cell, echoing off the walls as the rats greeted him with friendly smiles revealing sharp, pointed teeth beneath their twitching, whiskered noses. One large, grey rat with glittering black eyes that seemed to swallow what little light there was stared at him with unnerving intensity as it quietly told him to watch out for the purple dragonfly that had been spotted creeping ever closer to its lover.

When he opened his eyes again, he was standing in a warm cavern filled with dark shadows. He turned slowly until a familiar cage loomed up out of the darkness. Quickly looking around, he breathed a sigh of relief when he couldn't see either purple dragonflies or large grey rats in the immediate vicinity. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he casually approached the visibly glowing bars. He hummed a cheerful tune that he vaguely remembered hearing once so long ago in a past life where he lived in a happy village and ate steaming bowls of ramen with a cheerful man with a large scar across the bridge of his nose. He couldn't quite remember the man's name at the moment...though he was fairly certain it was something like Inuka or Iroki or something like it. He knew his memory lapse should be alarming, but it wasn't because today was the best day ever...although he wasn't quite certain why...and a wonderful surprise was waiting for him just on the other side of the large bars rising up before him. He did have to wonder, in a somewhat vague way, why someone would put his surprise inside a cage that he didn't have the key for. Halting before the cage he rocked back on his heels and grinned at the large, red monster staring out at him warily. "Bird's like to swim, y'know." He stated cheerfully as he bounced on the balls of his feet, barely able to contain the nervous energy coursing through him.

The Kyuubi blinked slowly, the angry snarl that had been pulling its black lips fading from its features as it stared down at the smaller form of its jailer. "Birds fly, not swim, brat. Even a simpleton knows that." It grumbled irritably, annoyed that the cutting edge of its rage had been dulled by the befuddling human standing before its cage and uttering confusing nonsense.

He shook his head emphatically. "Nope." His grin widened as he lifted one hand to run his fingers through his hair, tossing the already messy blond strands into further disarray. "Fish fly in the water and birds swim in the sky." He nodded sagely as he clasped his hands behind his back. "Do you know why clouds dance with the trees?" He spun on his heel to peer suspiciously into the shadowed recesses of the cavern, paranoid that the rats had followed him and the dragonflies were now spying on him. "It's 'cause mice hate cheese." He glanced over his shoulder with an almost frightening expression of utter seriousness. "The moon hates the sun because the rocks had an affair with a purple dragonfly." He continued after one last look into the depths of the cavern assured him that no spies were present. He leaned backwards and lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper just in case, not wishing to risk this information falling into the wrong hands. "The rats told me."

The nine-tailed fox demon slowly sat back on its haunches and regarded the blond with narrowed red eyes. "They hit you too hard, didn't they?"

_**TBC...**_

**1, 349 words**

**A/N **My work schedule ended up getting rearranged, leaving me very little time. Hence, the super-late update. //le sigh// Very sorry. The next update will probably be late, too, as I'm going out of town for the next few days.

TangoOFDOOM: I didn't really want to have Itachi hurt during his...er...altercation with Kisame, but to add a bit of "realism", I kinda had to. After all, Kisame is a powerful Shinobi in his own right (even if I do happen to think it's a little creepy and disgusting the sheer volume of spit he can produce!), and since he was Itachi's partner for so long I thought it made sense that there would be a bit of a challenge if it ever came down to a fight between the two. Itachi's going to have quite a bit of convincing to do to get Naruto to trust him considering everything that he's done in the past, ne?

gfrdr: Truthfully, I don't mind the questions. //grinz// In many cases, I find certain questions lead to reaching new conclusions and different paths that could be followed in a story...if that makes any sense. I'll answer (to the best of my ability) any question that won't actually give away the plot/idea/story...whatever you want to call it. ;-) I've disliked Sasuke from almost the very beginning. There's just something about his character that rubs me the wrong way...which is rather odd, considering I'm usually drawn to the misunderstood/brooding/tragic-past types of characters (which pretty much fits Sasuke-teme to a "T"). And yet, that whiny "oh poor me" and "i'm better than everyone else" attitude was a real turn off for me. //shrugs// And after he turned his back on everyone who cared for him...well, that pretty much made it into a done deal. He has a long way to go to redeem himself in my mind. Itachi, on the other hand, has always been portrayed as the "sociopathic older brother out to torment his little brother while taking over the world" kind of character. Then again, that may be over simplifying his character...I'm a firm believer that there is much more to Itachi than what we've been shown thus far. Hopefully I'm proven correct in the future.

Phaenilix: Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. Sorry it took so long for the update, but hopefully (even though it doesn't have Itachi in it) this chapter was worth the wait.


	6. Chapter 6

_**SUMMARY:** Duty, honour and love clash with a thirst for vengeance when a decade old lie is finally revealed. How far would YOU go for love? NaruIta, one-sided SasuNaru, YAOI!_

**Naruto Fanfiction**

_Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto Studio Pierrot TV Tokyo GAINAX Aniplex SME Visual Works Cartoon Network YTV (Canada) Viz Communications ShoPro Entertainment STUDIOPOLIS, Inc. Game One Kana Video Made In Europe Cartoon Network L.A. Xystus Artsound Mexico ABS-CBN Hero Mediaset Panini Video Italia Panini Video Cartoon Network L.A. (Brasil) Dublarte Shonen Jump (Japan) Shonen Jump (USA) Shueisha Glènat España Carlsen Comics Banzai! Japonica Polonica Fantastica (JPF) " Shonen Jump (Sweden)_

_All Fanfics created by Sandlewood (me) were written for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication or sale._

_**CHAPTER SUMMARY:** In which Itachi enjoys a home-cooked meal._

**Sacrifice**

_**By: Sandlewood996**_

_**Chapter 6**_

It was around midnight when he finally stopped for a much needed break. Not daring to take the chance of a fire being spotted by any possible pursuers, he crouched in the lee of a sheltering out-cropping of rock. Reaching into one of his pouches with his right hand, he withdrew another container of the odorless powder infused with a clotting agent and a small amount of healing chakra. His arm had started bleeding again sometime after sunset, but he'd been unwilling to risk stopping at that time, feeling a pressing need to put more distance between himself and the site of his battle with Kisame. Now, he was almost regretting his decision as he felt a wash of chilling dizziness flow over him. He'd lost a lot of blood, he knew, but without access to a competent medic he could only rely on the few items he carried in his emergency medical kit for the time being. Carefully unwrapping the blood-soaked bandages covering the wound on his arm, he gently prodded the injury and silently cursed his bad luck. At the rate he was going, infection was about to become his next biggest concern.

Once he'd seen to his arm, he dug out a small, sealed bag of rations. He carefully scanned the area dimly illuminated by the waning moon while chewing the tasteless energy bar mechanically, choosing not to dwell on either the lingering throbbing pain encompassing his left side or the bland texture sticking to the roof of his mouth. Somewhere in the distance he could hear the yipping call of a coyote. Taking slow, careful sips of water from his half-empty canteen, he studied the placement of the stars glittering against the velvety backdrop of the night sky. His back-tracking and doubling over his own trail had wasted several hours, but had been a necessary precaution. Now, however, he felt it was time to return to the previous course he'd set with his former Akatsuki partner.

It had been three days since he'd received the latest update of information on Akatsuki's last remaining jinchuuriki target, Uzumaki Naruto. Eight of the nine bijuu's in existence were already in their possession and Leader, he had known, was becoming impatient with the delay in the capture of the last remaining tailed-demon, the Kyuubi. He should have known that it would be impossible to delay any further, but he'd been far too optimistic for his own good. It would have been nice, though, if he'd been given a little more warning that he'd finally come under suspicion. It really was unfortunate that he hadn't been able to gather more information from Zetsu before he'd been forced to kill Kisame. Now, however, he had to rely on out-dated and possibly unreliable information. It was now a race against time to reach Naruto first before Akatsuki found either of them.

The last he'd been told, the Kyuubi vessel had been sent as an envoy to a small town near the border of Earth Country. According to Zetsu's sources, Naruto had in his possession a certain scroll containing vital information detailing a possible alliance between Konoha and three unnamed border towns, a merger that would place tremendous economic strain on Iwa, Earth Country's powerful shinobi village. He found it mildly disturbing that Tsunade-hime, the Godaime Hokage of Konoha, had entrusted such a critical mission to Uzumaki Naruto. He didn't believe the brash younger shinobi was suited at all to the task set out for him. Naruto wasn't called Konoha's Loudest and Most Unpredictable Ninja for nothing, after all. Diplomacy was anything but his forte. From what he remembered of the younger man, he was quite tactless, possessing a rather alarming tendency to blurt out whatever happened to be on his mind regardless of the possible consequences. "What was Hokage-sama thinking?" He muttered under his breath as he removed all traces of his presence and stood carefully, stretching out the uncomfortable kinks in his stiff and sore body.

He had two days to find a town with a suitable inn and, hopefully, a competent medic before the effects of the Soldier Pill wore off. He couldn't risk taking another lest he cause irreparable damage to his body. He felt a moment of regret for resorting to using exploding clones to finish off his former partner. The blast had destroyed any chance of recovering the extra provisions the other man had been carrying. He would have to restock his own supplies when he reached the nearest town, most importantly replace his torn and blood-stained clothing as he knew from experience his current appearance would draw far too much unwanted attention to himself. He couldn't afford to leave an obvious trail for the other members of Akatsuki to follow.

The sky was just beginning to become streaked with pale, pre-dawn light when he halted again. Before him, sitting on the edge of a brown and withered field of stunted crops, was a small weather-beaten rough-hewn shack. A thin trickle of smoke rose from a thin, crooked chimney set atop a roof in bad need of reshingling. A saggy porch jutted out towards him from the front of the house, the grey boards cracked and in serious need of repair. No windows were visible on the side of the humble home facing him, but a door filled with wide cracks drew his immediate attention. To the side of the house a small chicken coop rested, thick patches of scraggly weeds growing in tufts along the perimeter of the thin wire enclosure. Movement near the house drew his attention as a thin dog drew its gangly body from beneath the uneven planks of the grey steps leading to the single door. The animal eyed him warily as he slowly approached, dull fur ruffling in the slight breeze.

Pausing, he reached up and removed his scored hitai-ate, tucking it within one of his equipment pouches safely out of sight. It wouldn't do to draw attention to the fact that he was a missing-nin with past ties to Konoha. This close to the border of Earth Country anyone was subject to suspicion, even more so if there were signs of affiliation with one of their greatest enemies. It wouldn't matter that he'd left his village and severed all ties to his former home; these people wouldn't look passed the Konoha hitai-ate.

The dog barked, keeping a careful distance separating them and he could feel watchful, wary eyes following his slow and steady approach. The dog whined, tail tucked between its legs as it slinked in retreat, intimidated by the perceived threat he offered as he stared at it with narrowed crimson and black eyes. Returning his gaze to the crude entrance in much need of repairs and his hidden observer, he waited patiently as the house's occupant slowly opened the door to a wider crack. "Who are you and what do you want?" A gruff voice demanded from the shadowed interior of the dwelling.

"A traveler." He answered quietly with calm deliberation, soft voice carrying over the short distance surprisingly well. "The nearest town." He continued without pause. "Where is it?"

The door creaked as it was pushed open completely, revealing the grizzled countenance of a stooped form with the appearance of a man well passed his prime. "That'd be Gorge." The old man raised his hand, pointing a gnarled finger to the North-West. "Half day's hard travel if you walk fast. Two and a half if you dawdle." He nodded by way of thanks and turned to leave only to be stopped by the old man's voice addressing him again. "Got grilled cakes and eggs made. You're welcome to some, if you're so inclined." He glanced back over his shoulder, black tomoe spinning as he stared at the old farmer assessing his weathered and wrinkled features intently with the Sharingan, searching for signs of ulterior motives behind the offer. "Heh. Even a young man in top form needs sustenance." Watery eyes settled on his bandaged arm hanging limply at his left side before returning his regard with a raised, bushy eyebrow. "You look about half-dead on your feet, Traveler. A couple hours to eat and rest won't make no difference." A wide grin revealed uneven, yellowed teeth, a few gaps showing where some had already fallen out. "Gorge ain't goin' nowhere."

He carefully weighed his options as he returned the old man's steady, unwavering stare suspiciously, the light breeze ruffling through his dark hair. He hadn't stayed alive as long as he had by trusting readily. He never knew when a friendly stranger was in reality an assassin sent to eliminate him and the threat he posed, a bounty hunter hungry for the price on his head, or a fool looking to make a name for himself by attempting to take down Konoha's notorious Uchiha Butcher, the man responsible for massacring his entire clan save for one small boy in the span of one night. The man before him didn't have the aura of greed a bounty hunter usually possessed. Nor did he appear to be a glory seeking fool. Though appearances could be deceiving, the old man didn't have the eyes of a coldly efficient killer, either.

Coming to a decision, he slowly turned and inclined his head towards the old man in respectful acknowledgment. "Thank you for the generosity." He crossed the dry, dusty yard with swift, graceful steps, his fluid movements giving no indication of the fatigue weighing heavily on his body. Though he was eager to reach the town and begin his search for additional information in regards to Naruto's current location and recent activities, it could only serve to be beneficial to learn more about the inhabitants of Gorge first. It was also an added incentive to his decision that he'd be able to put a warm meal in his stomach for the first time in far longer than he cared to dwell on before continuing on his way. Dried trail rations, though designed for high proteins and carbohydrates for maximum efficiency in delivering necessary energy and nutrition, weren't really all that satisfying. In any case, however reluctant he may be to admit it...even to himself...he was tired of forcing the bland bars with the texture of pasty sawdust down his throat and it would be a pleasant change to partake of real food.

"The name's Goro, by the way." The old man led the way into the dimly lit interior of his home, the scent of fried eggs and corn bread heavy in the air. Limping over to the black wood stove nestled against the back wall on the other side of the one-room shack, he gestured to the scarred wooden table one-handed as he reached for the plates on a cluttered shelf above him. "Don't by shy. Take a seat. No formal ceremonies here, boy."

He twitched slightly at the way Goro addressed him but moved to comply all the same. It had been many years since anyone called him a 'boy' and he wasn't certain if he should feel insulted or not. He decided that it wasn't worth the effort to take umbrage, considering how much older the other man probably was. Allowances and concessions could be made for the elderly, after all. "Do you live alone, Goro-san?" He inquired politely while surreptitiously wiping a thick layer of dust off the seat of the chair he'd been directed to.

"Eh?" Bushy eyebrows lowered as the farmer squinted at him. "Oh, yeah. Alone. The wife kicked off close to fifteen years back and that ungrateful cur of a son ran off six years before." He nodded slowly, having already guessed at least part of it just by observing the state of the inside of the house. The old man set a plate before him and sat in the only other chair. "Didn't catch your name, boy." He mumbled gruffly around a mouthful of eggs.

He debated the wisdom of revealing personal information to the old man and shrugged mentally. If he didn't mention his family name there shouldn't be too much danger. "Itachi." He murmured as he took a cautious bite of the grilled corn bread. Flavour burst within his mouth bringing tastebuds alive with excitement. He had to force himself to eat slowly and not wolf it down as he was sorely tempted to do. Proper table manners instilled in him as a child won over his eagerness to taste more of the first real meal he'd been able to enjoy in far too long due, in large part, to the constant necessity of hard travel. Though he was much more inclined towards the more traditional foods of his country of origin, his tastebuds were telling him he'd managed the impossible and finally entered Nirvana.

"Well, Itachi..." The old man squinted at him across the table. "Looks like you found yourself a bit of trouble." Goro gestured towards his left arm with his fork before resuming eating.

The fork paused half way from his plate to his mouth before continueing its journey. He chewed slowly, Sharingan staring intently at the old man seated across from him. Of course, he had known his obvious wounds would draw attention to himself, but he had yet to formulate a plausible excuse to explain the state he was in. Carefully setting the fork beside his plate he watched the other man as he watched him in turn. "The roads can be dangerous for an unwary traveler, Goro-san." He murmured cautiously.

The old man snorted and dropped his own fork to clatter against his plate as he swiped the back of his hand across his mouth. "No doubt even more so for a lone ninja so far from home, hmm?"

His senses that had been warning him of the possibility of danger from the moment Goro made reference to his injuries awakened to full alert. His instinct told him to take immediate action and his sense of self-preservation nearly won. The old man would probably never know how close he'd come to dying in those first few moments. "I am certain you are correct, Goro-san." He watched the other man intently as he answered, carefully choosing his next words. "If such an individual existed, it would be most perilous for him to stray so far without careful consideration for the consequences."

The old man grinned widely and reached for the pot of coffee resting near his plate. "Too true, too true." Holding the pot up, he quirked an eyebrow in silent question before pouring two steaming mugs of the strongly brewed beverage when he received a slight nod in reply. "Could almost think he was looking for something, eh?" Before he could form a suitable response, Goro continued. "Not that such things interest an old timer like me." A somewhat wheezy laugh accompanied the mirthful twinkle in the old man's watery eyes. "I'm too old to worry about intrigues and the ol' ticker can't take too much excitement these days." The older man held out a plate towards him. "Toast?"

He murmured a thanks as he took a slice of the crisp, slightly blackened bread and slowly resumed eating. The message had been clear; though Goro suspected there was more to his claim of being a simple, lone traveler, he wasn't about to pursue it. It was a relief, he decided. He really didn't want to have to kill the old man, not after his kind, if somewhat gruff, hospitality. "What can you tell me of Gorge, Goro-san?"

"Gorge, huh?" Goro leaned back in his chair with his gnarled hands folded over his stomach, a thoughtful frown tugging his bushy eyebrows down over his eyes. "Well...it's..." There was a fairly long pause as the old man chewed his lip pensively. Finally, he nodded and leaned forward again. "It's tidy."

One dark eyebrow quirked up in bewildered inquiry. "Tidy?" He repeated slowly, uncertain if there was hidden meaning behind the oddly brief description of the near-by town.

"Yeah. Bunch o' uptight bastards with poles shoved so far up their collective asses they stick out their noses." A second dark eyebrow rose to join the first as the old man snorted with a look of disgust pulling his lips back into a contemptuous sneer. "Prancin' 'round with their shiny shoes and pretty little hats..." He cupped his hands over his head in a crude depiction of the mentioned head coverings. "Noses stuck so blasted high in the air they'd drown if it rained." Something that sounded suspiciously like a cross between a snort and a growl followed the heated description of the residents of Gorge.

"I...see..." He murmured carefully as he set his empty cup aside. "Is there a medic?" He asked somewhat hesitantly. The town was obviously as sore spot for his host. However, as reluctant as he was to provoke another diatribe, he was also in dire need of information. He needed to find someone capable of seeing to his injuries and hopefully repairing the damage Kisame had done to his arm. He wouldn't get far, he knew, in his current state and he definitely had no desire to risk worsening his condition unnecessarily by attempting to continue his search without first finding medical aid.

"Medic?" The old man squinted at him and slowly shook his head. "Nope. 'Fraid not." Goro's gaze settled on his wounded arm with an assessing scowl. "But..." Another lengthy pause settled between them as the grizzled aging farmer pursed his lips thoughtfully. "I could probably help you out with that."

_**TBC...**_

**2, 935 words**

**A/N: **Sorry for the delay in updating...been having issues in R/L. _shrugs _As well as issues with uploading...for some strange reason I've been getting error messages about the file being "empty"... Buuuuut...that's all in the past now, right?_ grinz  
_

**unseeliedarkness:** That was a real challenge for me to write. o.O In the end, I found myself feeling drained...and a bit confused. _shrugs_ I figured that if I left myself confused, then it had accomplished exactly what I wanted. ;-)

**hyperdude:** It all started as an IM session with a friend that went along the lines of "I wonder..." and "What if..." and "Hey, that might work!" It kinda snowballed from there. _laughs_ Glad you're enjoying.

**InuyashaHoujo:** If I had my way, they would've been interacting right from the beginning...which is the way I'd originally been writing it. It was pointed out by my "brainstorming partner" that it made absolutely no sense whatsoever and that both characters seemed waaaay too OOC. So...I back-tracked and started filling in the blanks...and this is the end result. And yes...it is exactly as it was portrayed in the summary...NaruIta, as in Naruto-Seme and Itachi-Uke...though there may be a bit of Switching in there if the mood takes me. ;-)

**ddd:** _laughs_ You and me both! Believe me, I was more than a little confused after I finished writing the last chapter. But I decided to leave it as it was as a way of showing how much Naruto's psyche is suffering from his captivity. I can only hope that it didn't fall flat. _shifty eyes_

**TangoOFDOOM:** Oh yes...definitely "Bonding Time". _grinz_ Poor, poor Naruto-kun...he's going to need some serious comforting, ne? ;-)

**Shadow Bannana:** Oh yes, absolutely...but the pieces are still there...just a little cracked.

**gfrdr:** I'd like to try to keep Naruto as much IC as I can...while at the same time show more maturity and perhaps a few signs of the tremendous stress he's under, but I don't really want to crack him like a nut! Can't really say for sure excatly what Itachi's role will be, per se, only that he's going to have tremendous impact on Naruto's life. (I do know what the future holds in the fic, honest _shifty eyes_) Let's just say I've envisioned the beginning and the ending...it's just everything in the middle that's a little fuzzy at the moment. _coughs_ Each chapter is kind of like an adventure for me...I never know precisely what's going into it until it's done. _laughs_

**Phaenilix:** Ahhh! No Naru/Ita! _clasps hands and bows deeply_ Gomen! Gomen! It IS coming, though, I swear! I'll admit that though it was a rather difficult chapter to write (I like to think of myself as being relatively sane _laughs_), it was rather fun all the same. Glad it was enjoyable. :-)

**angel:** ANGEL! _glomps_ Ahh! My own personal muse! _huggles_ Thank you soooo much for all the input you've given me during the long and arduous task of trying to keep my mind focused and the chapters coming. You have nooooo idea how much I appreciate it. Y'know...it's been so long since we last sat down and had a "real" chat that I've almost forgotten what the back story was now! _shifty eyes_ You know what that means, right? Hehe...we need to get together for a good and long brainstorming session (a.k.a. chatting, gossiping, and getting caught up). _gasp_ No! Say it isn't so, imouto-chan! _teary eyes_ HOW can you say that about the teme?! _glares at said teme_ Evil Sasuke-teme...corrupting my darling imouto-chan's mind! Bad! Bad, bad, bad! And yes...I think I do agree with you about what we talked about in regards to Itachi's reasons...I think. Anyhoo...until next time! (I'm serious, though...we really need to find the time to get together again...I'm seriously missing my kawaii imouto-chan!! _huggles_)

**XxKitsunedxX:** Hey! Look! I got my own stalker!! _laughs_ Anyhoo... The ending just popped into my head and wouldn't leave me alone...so I decided to keep it. I'm glad I did. _grinz_ Adds a little bit of humour to an otherwise horrific situation, ne?

Until next time...remember that Reviews, much like Pocky, make the world go 'round!


	7. Chapter 7

_**SUMMARY:** Duty, honour and love clash with a thirst for vengeance when a decade old lie is finally revealed. How far would YOU go for love? NaruIta, one-sided SasuNaru, YAOI!_

**Naruto Fanfiction**

_Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto Studio Pierrot TV Tokyo GAINAX Aniplex SME Visual Works Cartoon Network YTV (Canada) Viz Communications ShoPro Entertainment STUDIOPOLIS, Inc. Game One Kana Video Made In Europe Cartoon Network L.A. Xystus Artsound Mexico ABS-CBN Hero Mediaset Panini Video Italia Panini Video Cartoon Network L.A. (Brasil) Dublarte Shonen Jump (Japan) Shonen Jump (USA) Shueisha Glènat España Carlsen Comics Banzai! Japonica Polonica Fantastica (JPF) " Shonen Jump (Sweden)_

_All Fanfics created by Sandlewood (me) were written for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication or sale._

_**CHAPTER SUMMARY:** In which Naruto displays fox-like deviousness._

**Sacrifice**

_**By: Sandlewood996**_

_**Chapter 7**_

Kyuubi was becoming irritated. He was expending vast amount of energy on a daily basis just to keep his human jailer alive and the now familiar routine was swiftly growing old. The human body, he'd long since discovered much to his growing frustration, was far too fragile for his peace of mind. The continuous beatings and torture sessions were becoming a growing concern for the fox demon. He didn't like to admit to it, but he was beginning to fear that if it kept up like this the brat was going to either suffer permanent psychological damage or die. Neither outcome was appealing in the least, though the latter was the most disturbing. If the brat died, then by default, so would he.

The other growing concern was, obviously, Naruto's steadily deteriorating state of mind. Simply put, Kyuubi wasn't certain if the brat's sanity was still intact. Their recent conversations had left him in a state of confusion, something he wasn't entirely comfortable with. Though he was loath to admit it, he rather liked the young man, even if he could be annoying with his brash demands and arrogant belief that he could control a centuries-old tailed-demon. But still...there was something almost endearing about the kit that made Kyuubi far more tolerant than he would normally be.

Though Kyuubi could heal the broken bones and other immediately life-threatening injuries, there was precious little that he could do to help with Naruto's damaged psyche. Despite his reassurances that the rats weren't orchestrating a conspiracy to take over the world and that there was no such thing as purple dragonflies, the brat remained adamant that they were out to get him. Kyuubi wasn't a patient creature to begin with, and having to share the same body and mind of a paranoid lunatic was quickly straining what little patience he possessed. If only Naruto would release him...then he could take control of the situation and put a stop to the cause of the young man's torment. But of course his human jailer retained just enough of his faculties to remember that releasing the nine-tailed fox demon he carried within him was a 'Bad Thing'. "Stupid brat." He muttered under his breath with equal parts affection and irritation.

Kyuubi had been noticing that Naruto's 'visits' had become much more frequent as of late and seemed to be lasting for longer durations than usual. He could only surmise that it was caused by the young man's desperate desire to escape the harsh reality surrounding his captivity. The fox demon found it rather ironic that his jailer was hiding in the inner prison contained within himself to escape the physical prison of the outside world. By nature Kyuubi wasn't a compassionate being...far from it, really...but even he felt that Naruto had endured more than he deserved. He almost missed the brash confidence the young man had possessed before his capture and subsequent imprisonment.

He turned his attention to the young man in question currently crouched before his hated cage. Red eyes gleamed in the semi-darkness as he slowly approached the monolithic bars. He stared down at the blond for several long moments, confusion warring with irritation in the crimson gaze before he finally lowered his head to sniff disdainfully at the crouched figure. "What are you doing now, brat?"

Naruto didn't look up as he responded distractedly. "Remembering." Before Kyuubi could put voice to the next obvious question, his unwilling host continued. "They don't want me to remember, so I'm making sure I don't forget."

The fox demon snorted with amusement. "You do realize that rather than drawing crude pictures on the floor you should be trying to escape?"

"Can't." He shifted and groaned. "Look what you made me do!" Angry blue eyes glared accusingly at the nine-tailed fox through the bars as he pointed at the smudged designs beneath him. "I have to start over now!"

Kyuubi ignored the irritated mutters and focused on the first part of Naruto's statement. "What do you mean you can't? Are you stupid or something? Want to die here?"

Naruto rolled his eyes and sat back to regard the monstrous fox with unconcealed annoyance. "They need two more days, stupid fox. In two days I can get out. Not before."

"In two days you'll be dead." The blond shook his head with what the nine-tailed demon fox considered an overly cocky grin. He snorted and rolled his eyes. "You don't honestly expect me to keep healing you."

The grin widened as Naruto stood, lacing his hands behind his head in a relaxed pose. "Yup." He announced cheerfully.

Kyuubi heaved his bulky weight up, anger flaring in his crimson eyes. "What arrogance!" He bellowed, lips pulling back to reveal glistening fangs in a snarl. "You think to dictate my actions? Just who do you think you're dealing with, brat?" All forming thoughts of pity fled in the face of affronted pride and anger.

Naruto leaned forward with a smirk that rivaled the demon's own malicious deviousness. "You'll keep me alive." He stated confidently, seemingly unfazed by the monstrous fox's growing rage. "If I die..." He jerked his thumb towards his chest, smirk dissolving into a scowl. "You die, too." He dropped to a crouch again and resumed tracing what appeared to be random patterns on the floor. "I think we both know how you feel about that."

For a moment Kyuubi was silent as he stared down at the crouched figure in disgust. It galled him to admit that Naruto was correct in his assumption. There was very little that could actually frighten the fox demon, but the mere thought of his existence being snuffed out in the blink of an eye because he'd been sealed within a mortal's body terrified him beyond reason. "One of these days you're going to go to far, brat." He growled as he slowly lowered his body to the floor of his cell. "There's only so much abuse the human body can withstand and even I have limits as to what I can heal."

Naruto shrugged, seemingly unconcerned by the nine-tailed fox's dire prediction. "It it happens, it happens. There's no point in worrying about it." He shifted again until he was sitting comfortably, legs stretched out and leaning back on his hands in a relaxed pose. "I'm not gonna die until I've achieved my dream."

Kyuubi snorted with dark amusement. "Do you honestly believe your bigoted council members are going to appoint you as the next Hokage, brat?" He chuckled, a low rumbling sound that seemed to vibrate off the cavernous walls and ceiling of the inner prison when Naruto's blue eyes narrowed with growing anger. "As long as I'm here as a part of you, they aren't going to take the chance that I'll get loose." His lips pulled back into a cruel, malicious parody of a smile, red eyes gleaming in the semi-darkness of the sealed cage. "Every time they look at you, they'll see me...and they'll remember." He promised with grim satisfaction.

The blond jumped to his feet, hands clenched into fists at his sides as he glared passed the glowing bars of the cage to the nine-tailed fox demon. "Like I'd ever let that happen again!"

"When they look at you, they see their precious Yondaime Hokage and remember that it was because of me that he's dead." He continued relentlessly. Kyuubi lowered his massive head to rest on his forepaws. "In their minds it was you who killed him, brat. Never forget that. This is the legacy you have to overcome." He feigned a yawn of boredom. "Getting yourself killed on a fake diplomatic mission would solve all their problems."

Naruto bowed his head, blond hair falling over his eyes as he stared at the designs he'd drawn on the floor before the massive cage. "I'm not gonna let that happen. I'm not gonna die here." He drew in a deep breath, passionate conviction echoing in his voice as he continued. "I'm gonna finish my mission and go back to Konoha..." He lifted his head and glared with fierce determination through the bars at Kyuubi. "And I will prove to everyone that I'm not the fox demon that attacked them. I will be Hokage, you stupid fox! That is my dream and I will achieve it. Nothing you say will ever change that. Got it?"

_**TBC...**_

**1, 404 words**

**A/N: Can't say as I like this chapter all that much. --; But...it's a chapter all the same. If there are an overabundance of typos revolving around words containing the letter "R" I apologize in advance. My keyboard is acting up and the "R" key is sticking something awful. I tried to fix them (the typos, that is), but I'm not sure if I caught them all. Also attempted to fix the keyboard problem myself...something I don't recommend, by the way. I think I may have matters worse. _coughs_ The keys aren't supposed to come off on their own, are they? Probably going to have to send my laptop in for some warranty work to get this little problem fixed before to long (don't want the warranty running out before I can get it done!). Have also concluded that I really hate my word processor. The format isn't supported by or FFn or AFFn. Really quite annoying. I have to resort to RTF format and for some odd reason, whenever I upload to it doesn't look right when I view the chapter afterwards...things are missing or formatting is messed up. I think I need to invest in a new word processor. O.o**

XxKitsunedxX: Stalker or fan...it's still nice to hear that you're enjoying "Sacrifice".

gfrdr: By IC, I actually meant In Character. Yeah...the whole Yaoi thing is kinda under wraps here, too. Not too sure my husband would appreciate it...even if I assured him that it was just another form of art. _grinz_ People are funny that way, ne? Not sure why..._shrugs_ People are people and it's only natural for people to love other people...and if the person they love happens to be the same sex, I don't see what the big deal is. But, that's just me.

may.neuma: At times, I can't help but think that it's getting **too** lengthy. o.O Almost starting to feel that it's become a vast undertaking that I'm not entirely certain I'm prepared for. _laughs_ But then again, it **is** fun! It's been a constant challenge to keep the characters IC, but at the same time put my own twist on them to follow with the premise for the story. I'm glad that it's actually working. NaruIta is also a pairing that I never really gave much thought to...until a friend of mine basically challenged me to write it. This is the end result. _grinz_

ofdarknesschaos: And here's the chapter! Thanks for taking the time to read and review.


	8. Chapter 8

_**SUMMARY:** Duty, honour and love clash with a thirst for vengeance when a decade old lie is finally revealed. How far would YOU go for love? NaruIta, one-sided SasuNaru, YAOI!_

**Naruto Fanfiction**

_Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto Studio Pierrot TV Tokyo GAINAX Aniplex SME Visual Works Cartoon Network YTV (Canada) Viz Communications ShoPro Entertainment STUDIOPOLIS, Inc. Game One Kana Video Made In Europe Cartoon Network L.A. Xystus Artsound Mexico ABS-CBN Hero Mediaset Panini Video Italia Panini Video Cartoon Network L.A. (Brasil) Dublarte Shonen Jump (Japan) Shonen Jump (USA) Shueisha Glènat España Carlsen Comics Banzai! Japonica Polonica Fantastica (JPF) " Shonen Jump (Sweden)_

_All Fanfics created by Sandlewood (me) were written for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication or sale._

_**CHAPTER SUMMARY:** In which the path leads onward._

**Sacrifice**

_**By: Sandlewood996**_

_**Chapter 8**_

It had been a stroke of unbelievable luck that he'd happened upon the old dilapidated farm and its lone occupant. It was bordering on miraculous that the old man had been a medic in his prime. Though his skills had been unused in more years than he wanted to admit to, Goro had managed to heal the worst of his injuries. The fact that very few questions had been asked was a definite bonus to the whole deal and though he didn't put much stock in so-called Fate, Goro had insisted that that was what had led him to his door in the first place. He wasn't about to argue in sight of his good fortune and chose to humour the old man and his odd beliefs. After all, he'd gotten a relatively decent home-cooked meal and a fully functional arm out of his impulsive decision to let the old man live despite his alarming questions during breakfast.

Possibly even more beneficial to his cause than the meal and healing had been the information Goro had provided, albeit unwittingly. Living in an isolated area, the old man took marked interest in the comings and goings of travelers so far off the main roads. Three days prior to his own arrival, Goro had seen a young man traveling alone...a young man whose description was remarkably similar to that of Uzumaki Naruto. The old man had watched from what he described as a safe distance as the lone traveler had been ambushed by what he thought to be a band of rogue-nins from nearby Iwa. Apparently there had been several attacks made on unwary travelers during the last several months. Though he hadn't wanted to appear too interested in what had become of the young man, he suspected that by merely asking Goro had already concluded that his own arrival a few shorts days after the incident was more than simple coincidence.

After hearing the old man's account of the brief battle and the traveler's defeat, he couldn't help but wonder if there could possibly be another shinobi who matched Naruto's description. His knowledge of the Kyuubi's container told him that he wouldn't be so easily defeated...and yet Goro insisted that the fight had been over almost before it began, the young man overpowered with what he called 'pathetic ease' and taken away, presumably as a prisoner to the bandit's hideout. None of it made sense to him...unless Tsunade-hime had been using Naruto as a decoy, in which case it would make complete sense considering how resilient Naruto was. Despite his rather alarming tendency to rush head long into battle with little or no thought to planning or strategy, the younger man was surprisingly adaptable. He didn't know if it was skill or sheer dumb luck that had kept Naruto alive thus far, but whatever the case he was certain that his situation was now quite dire. If the rogue-nins had captured him and kept him alive, there was only one explanation behind their actions. They obviously believed that Naruto possessed something they wanted and if he refused to give it up willingly, there was little doubt that they'd use force to obtain their goals. He seriously doubted that Naruto had been suitably prepared to withstand the likely treatment he'd be receiving while being held prisoner by the rogue Iwa-nins. Unless Akatsuki's spies were grossly misinformed as to their target's recent activities, Naruto had not received the proper training needed to prepare him for the eventuality of possible capture and interrogation at the hands of an enemy.

Whatever the circumstances surrounding his current situation, he had to locate Naruto before it was too late. Unfortunately, it was easier said than done; he had very little information to go on and locating the base of a group of rogue-nins was next to impossible with the limited information he had to work with. All he could do was find the place the brief battle had occurred at and try to track them from there. He could only hope the trail had not been obliterated during the three day interval by the unpredictable weather of the area. Though he was relatively proficient at tracking, his abilities were still lacking when compared to shinobi like Akatsuki's Zetsu and Konoha's Inuzuka clan who had specialized in those skills.

Crimson eyes scanned the rough terrain calmly, seeking out any tell-tale signs left from the three-day old battle field. Scuff marks, the partial print of a heel, scored bark left from blades on a few twisted and misshapen trees. Slowly, he followed the nearly invisible trail, alert to his surroundings and the unconcerned twitters of bird song drifting on the light breeze rustling through the leaves and tall grass. A broken branch, small bare patches of ground, and dried, flaking droplets of blood on rock led him towards the north-east. The reflection of sunlight off of metal drew his attention to a fragment of honed steel embedded in the trunk of a tree to his left, the remnant of a broken tip of a stray shuriken. A small scrap of cloth pinched between the jagged ends of a snapped twig, three ragged marks carved diagonally into the bark of a tree by a sharp-edged object, and finally, strikingly out of place, strands of blond hair clinging with fragile tenacity to a gently waving branch. The sun had crept across the sky and was making its rapid descent towards the horizon as he followed the barely discernable trail leading him onward, deeper into the harsh terrain of Iwa's borders.

That very little effort appeared to have been made to conceal the tracks he was currently following was suspicious in his mind. Either the rogue-nins were extremely sloppy or they just didn't care. If it was the former, then it was even more puzzling as to how shinobi of their skill had managed to over-power a Konoha-nin of Naruto's caliber. For all his impulsiveness, the younger man had been trained first by the Copy-nin, Hatake Kakashi, a shinobi of infamous renown, and later by Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Sannin. It was difficult to believe that with such a strong background that Naruto could have been so easily overpowered by such low-level shinobi. On the other hand, if they'd neglected to expend more effort in covering their tracks for the latter reason, then he could only conclude that the rogue-nins he was following had the strength and skill to back up their seeming arrogance. If this was the case, it could prove to be quite problematic for him. He was confident in his own skills, but he was, after all, only one man against an as of yet indeterminate number.

Light from the setting sun glinted off of something metallic wedged into a crevasse between a rock and a tree's roots, catching his attention. Before he could investigate further, the sudden stillness and silence of the birds alerted him to the rapidly approaching chakra of two unknown individuals. Quickly assessing the danger to being almost laughably low, he swiftly masked his own presence as he concealed himself within the shadows, watching the direction he'd sensed the chakra coming from with barely contained impatience. He didn't have time for delays. Crimson and black eyes narrowed as the faint sound of voices drew nearer.

"...such an idiot!" Two figures stopped an arm's length from where he stood, oblivious to his presence. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes at their less than exemplary display of skill basic to all shinobi. Even green Academy students showed more common sense than the two standing before him. "This is all your fault, y'know."

"My fault?! Hah! Right. You were there, too, so why didn't you do it?" The two men standing before him wore what could pass for ninja attire if he squinted just right and the light wasn't very good. In reality, they had the appearance of common rag-tag thugs. All in all, he wasn't impressed thus far.

"I was busy, in case you hadn't noticed." His gaze focused on the displayed hitai-ate, black tomoe rotating slowly in the growing dim lighting as he took in the scuffed metal plate and thread bare cloth holding the battered forehead protectors in place. The distinctive symbol representing Iwa was unmistakable, but it was the jagged line etched through the image of rocks that caught and held his attention. Crimson eyes narrowed further as the tomoe spun faster in his agitation. "I don't know what the big deal is anyway. It's not like anyone's coming after him."

"Idiot!" The taller of the two cuffed his partner on the back of his head. "He may've been working solo, but you saw his hitai-ate. Konoha will send someone after him. You can bet on it."

"Hard to imagine their Hokage would send someone like that on such an important mission." His hand clenched around the hilt of his kunai as he tensed in stealthy preparation, lip curling in disgust at the incompetence of the two supposed shinobi before him It was hardly worth the effort to kill them, but two less enemies to deal with later made it a necessity to do so.

"Yeah. Konoha must be getting weak if that's all they have to offer." Despite the situation, a part of him was inclined to agree. In the years since his departure from the village of his birth, he'd often thought the very same thing, though for very different reasons. It wasn't for lack of training or skilled shinobi that Konoha came across as weak. No...it was for their unrealistic ideals based purely on lies, deceit and pure stubborn refusal to acknowledge the reality behind being one of the five great shinobi villages.

"All he did was scream and flail about." A derisive snort punctuated the statement. "Blond idiot. Pathetic." That was all he needed to hear to know that the two men before him were, indeed, part of the group he was seeking. He'd be able to follow their back trail to their hideout and, hopefully, to Uzumaki Naruto.

Stepping out of the shadows, he allowed a small, amused smirk to curve his lips upwards when the rogue-nins turned to him wearing identical looks of comical surprise. "Pathetic." He repeated flatly, contempt clear in his crimson and black eyes. His arm swept out in a graceful arc, the two men dead before they could do more than gape stupidly at the blurred flash of moonlight glinting off of the honed edge of the kunai. He expertly stepped to the side, effectively avoiding the spray of arterial blood. He looked up at the dark sky, irritated by how much time had been wasted as he stood poised in the shadows listening to the two inept ninjas speak. Though his patience had, in the end, provided him with enough information to continue onward, the darkness would also work against him. Twin heavy thumps hitting the ground drew his attention downward again. Slowly kneeling, he wiped the bloody blade of his kunai on the clothes of the body closest to him before returning it to its previously concealed position. He began searching the bodies for any useful items without preamble.

Standing gracefully, he turned on his heel and swiftly melted into the darkness. He didn't know how much further he'd have to travel before he reached his goal, but he found himself hoping that it wouldn't be too far. Already he was beginning to feel the familiar hollow ache behind his eyes as the prolonged use of the Sharingan strained his eyes. He knew from experience that he only had a few short hours before the ache became sharp, piercing pains lancing through his skull. The migraines, unfortunately, were the price he payed for over-extending his use of his kekkai genkai. With any luck he would be able to complete his task first before the side-effects of the Sharingan took hold.

_**TBC...**_

**1, 997 words**

A/N:

Been far too long since my last update. --; Sorry! R/L really bites sometimes, y'know? What with having to deal with work, mother's doctor's appointments, and my ill-timed volunteering for hosting the dreaded Family Christmas Dinner, I haven't had much time to breathe, never mind write. Not a lot of time right now either, but I figured that since I was sick, I'd take advantage of having a little bit of time to myself.


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